God’s Providence: Steps and Stops
“My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart.”
Psalm 73:26 (NIV)
A few weeks ago, my husband Bruce had his annual wellness checkup with our primary care physician. Bruce casually mentioned occasionally experiencing a slight discomfort in his chest when he climbed a big hill near our home. Our physician ordered a nuclear stress test to rule out any kind of potential heart problem. We didn’t get the results back before we left on vacation, but we figured that no news was good news. About the middle of the week, we received a phone call informing us to follow up with a cardiologist when we returned from vacation. Two cardiologists were recommended. When I called to make an appointment, the first doctor couldn’t see a new patient until August 22. The second one had an available appointment in less than 48 hours. We took it.
Years ago, God used Elisabeth Elliot to give me some foundational wisdom that continues to serve me well. When asked, “How do you know God’s will for your life?” Elliot quickly responded, “You discipline your emotions and do your next thing.” Elisabeth followed her answer by reminding conference attendees that God’s Word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. (Psalm 119:105) A lamp is just enough light for the very next step.
Last week I clung to Elliot’s “discipline your emotions and do your next thing” counsel as I prayed for God’s providence to guide our steps and stops. Bruce and I saw the cardiologist on Wednesday, had his heart catheterization on Thursday, and open-heart surgery on Friday. What began as “you might have a heart problem and we need to make sure” very quickly changed into “this is too dangerous for a cardiac stent and you can’t leave the hospital until you have the surgery.” All for a man who has never experienced an overnight hospital stay!
As each step of last week’s heart health crisis unfolded, I prayed for our steps and stops. One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 30:21: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” I found myself clinging to that verse and praying, “Which way, Lord?” and finally settled on “If the door opens, we’re going through it.”
When the scheduling coordinator asked us if we had a preference of facilities for Bruce’s heart catheterization, I replied, “First available.” She groaned as she checked two options and finally handed me a piece of paper that read “5 AM tomorrow morning Facility B.” When open heart surgery was the only safe option proposed, we took it not knowing which surgeon would be performing the delicate operation. Miraculously, the cardiovascular surgeon who was no longer accepting any new patients, listened to the interventional radiologist’s plea on our behalf, and agreed to take Bruce’s case. The surgeon “just happened” to have an open slot on his Friday surgery schedule. It was an open door. We took it.
On the day of surgery as we were in the pre-op holding area, a man came in, introduced himself, looked at Bruce and said, “Do you walk down Panorama Drive several times a week?” When Bruce replied, “Yes, three miles three times a week.” The man said, “Well, I’m your perfusionist and your neighbor! I will be operating the heart bypass machine for your procedure today and I live on Panorama.”
That led to the pre-op nurse inserting Bruce’s IV exclaiming, “Are you Coach Evans??? I’m Karen C. and I was a cheerleader at Vestavia High school.” God has connected a lot of dots over the last five days, confirming and providing for each next step, always just in time.
Bruce had four coronary artery blockages (two greater than 90%) that required bypass grafts. He had a five-hour surgery on Friday morning. The surgeon said his heart is good and strong except for the blockages.
That’s a pretty big “except!” There is no health apart from heart health, both physically and spiritually. The reality of living in a fallen sinful world is that all of us have broken hearts that need to be, not just repaired, but regenerated. God sent His Son Jesus to be the atonement or payment for our sinful hearts so that we can now have a new clean heart (Ezekiel 36:26).
The last five days have been our Red Sea Rule crisis (Exodus 14-15). We faced an impossible situation without God, but it became possible with God. God gave the victory; our prayer is that He will receive the glory.
We are grateful for the many kindnesses that have been bestowed and appreciate your prayers as Bruce recovers. Please pray that God strengthens both our hands (Nehemiah 6:19) and our hearts (Psalm 73:26).